The harvesting of tomatoes has in the last 20 years become almost totally mechanized. Today harvesters made by one of several companies can move quickly through a field to remove the whole tomato plant from the ground, separate the tomatoes from the plant, and even permit on-board sorting both manually and calorimetrically by electronic means. The first step of plant removal from the earth is generally carried out by a sickle type front attachment for the harvester. This device features the lateral movement of one notched blade relative to a infrapositioned stationary blade in the same fashion as a common home hedge trimmer.
While the sickle plant remover does an adequate job, it tends to permit excess dirt to stick to the roots of the plant. These dirt clods can and do interfere with the operation of the color sensitive LEDs or CCDs used to separate ripe from unripe tomatoes.
Thus, there seems to be a need for a more efficient means of plant removal. One that will separate the clods of dirt from the roots before the dirt can get into the sorter and cause jams in the sorter.
One object of this invention is to provide a new apparatus for removing tomato plants from the ground for the plants to be handled by a tomato harvester.
Another object is to provide an apparatus which will remove a significant portion of the residual dirt from tomato plant roots once the plants have been removed from the ground.
Yet another object is to provide an apparatus for removing tomato plants from the ground, which can be adapted for installation upon a plurality of tomato harvesters.
A still further object is to provide a tomato plant remover that is efficient, safe and easy to operate.
These and other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.
The invention accordingly comprises the apparatus possessing the features, properties and the relation of components which are exemplified in the following detailed disclosure and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the claims.
For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention reference should be made to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.